- DTU pricing is one fixed monthly price per database size with storage included; vCore pricing charges compute, reserved data storage and extra backup storage separately.
- Serverless bills compute per second and nothing while a General Purpose database is paused, but an online database always pays a minimum.
- In General Purpose and Business Critical you pay for the maximum data size you configure, plus 30% for the log, not for the data you store.
- Hyperscale has no SQL Server licence fee in its price, so a provisioned Hyperscale vCore lists below a General Purpose vCore; Azure Hybrid Benefit is not available for new Hyperscale databases.
How Azure SQL pricing works
Azure SQL pricing starts with the purchasing model. In the DTU model you buy a bundle: each size (Basic, S0 to S12, P1 to P15) has a fixed number of database transaction units, an included amount of storage and one price. Microsoft's purchasing model guide describes it as preconfigured bundles with fixed payments each month. Extra storage can be added in Standard and Premium, and long-term backup retention is billed separately.
In the vCore model the bill has separate lines. Microsoft lists them as the service tier, the hardware configuration, compute resources (vCores and memory), reserved database storage and actual backup storage. Compute is either provisioned, a fixed size billed per hour whether it is busy or idle, or serverless, billed per second for the compute used. Elastic pools are charged per pool, but backup storage is always charged per database.
Two rules catch people out. In General Purpose and Business Critical you are charged for the maximum data size you configure, plus 30% for the log file. And backup storage is free only up to the configured maximum data size; beyond that it is billed per GB, so long retention and heavy writes raise the backup line.
| Cost line | DTU model | vCore model |
|---|---|---|
| Compute | Included in the DTU price | Per vCore: hourly (provisioned) or per second (serverless) |
| Data storage | Included up to the tier's amount; extra storage in Standard and Premium | Maximum size configured plus 30% for log (Hyperscale: allocated storage only) |
| Backup storage (PITR) | Included | Free up to the maximum data size, then per GB per month |
| Discounts | None of the vCore discounts | Reservations, savings plan, Azure Hybrid Benefit |
DTU vs vCore pricing: which costs less?
The DTU Basic size has the lowest entry price on the page and one figure to budget, but Microsoft notes that Basic, S0, S1 and S2 provide less than one vCore and that Basic, S0 and S1 use HDD-based storage suited to development and infrequently used databases.
The vCore model is more flexible: compute and storage are sized separately, serverless suits intermittent use, and Microsoft states that reserved instance pricing is only available for the vCore purchasing model. Databases convert between the models online. In our view, DTU still makes sense for a small, steady database where a fixed bill matters more than flexibility; for anything larger or spiky, compare the vCore options.
Serverless pricing: how auto-pause billing works
A serverless database is billed every second for the larger of the CPU it uses and the memory it uses, with memory converted at 3 GB per vCore. If usage falls below the minimum vCores or minimum memory you configured, you pay for the minimum.
The practical consequence is that a serverless database only costs nothing for compute while it is paused. Auto-pause is available in General Purpose (the delay is configurable from 15 minutes, 60 by default) and is a preview feature in Hyperscale. An online but idle database still pays its minimum: Microsoft's example of a General Purpose database with 4 maximum and 0.5 minimum vCores (2.1 GB minimum memory) works out at a minimum bill of 0.7 vCores. Open connections from tools such as SSMS can keep a database from pausing. Storage is billed whether the database is paused or not.
Hyperscale pricing
Hyperscale uses a different storage model: you pay only for the storage actually allocated (minimum 10 GB), there is no charge for log storage, and storage grows automatically. Compute is charged for every replica, so high availability or named replicas multiply the compute line. Since December 2023 Hyperscale prices exclude a SQL Server licence fee, so Azure Hybrid Benefit is not available for new Hyperscale databases (existing provisioned ones keep it until December 2026).
Reserved capacity, savings plans and Azure Hybrid Benefit
- Azure Reservations (reserved capacity) are a billing discount in exchange for committing to vCore compute for one or three years. They do not reserve capacity in a data centre.
- Savings plan for databases: the pricing page shows a one-year savings plan column for vCore compute, at roughly 20% below pay-as-you-go for provisioned compute on the check date.
- Azure Hybrid Benefit lets you apply SQL Server licences with active Software Assurance to General Purpose and Business Critical (not new Hyperscale) so that you pay a lower, licence-free rate. Microsoft states savings of up to 30 percent or more.
- Dev/Test subscriptions get discounted rates on eligible tiers.
None of these apply to the DTU model, and the examples below use pay-as-you-go prices only.
How to keep Azure SQL cost down
- Keep the configured maximum data size close to what you need.
- Use serverless with auto-pause for development databases, and close idle connections so they can pause.
- Pool many small databases with uneven usage in an elastic pool.
- For learning and prototypes, use the Azure SQL Database free offer.
To compare providers, see AWS RDS vs Azure SQL Database and our Google Cloud SQL pricing guide; for self-managed SQL Server editions, see SQL Server Express vs Standard.
Pricing
Prices from the provider's official pricing pages, checked 8 October 2026, region East US, in USD, excluding tax. List prices only; discounts, commitments and your actual usage change the bill.
Pay-as-you-go list prices for a single database on standard-series (Gen5) hardware with locally redundant storage, from the Azure SQL Database pricing page. Monthly figures are shown as Microsoft displays them; the examples assume the database runs all month. Business Critical and Hyperscale prices are per replica.
| Option | Size | List price |
|---|---|---|
| DTU Basic | 5 DTUs, 2 GB included | 4.8971 USD per month |
| DTU Standard S0 | 10 DTUs, 250 GB included | 14.7187 USD per month |
| DTU Standard S1 | 20 DTUs, 250 GB included | 29.4343 USD per month |
| DTU Premium P1 | 125 DTUs, 500 GB included | 456.25 USD per month |
| DTU extra storage (Standard) | Per GB above the included amount | 0.17 USD per GB per month |
| General Purpose, provisioned | 2 vCores, 10.2 GB memory | 368.188 USD per month (222.237 USD with Azure Hybrid Benefit) |
| General Purpose, serverless | Per vCore used, 0.5 to 80 vCores | 0.0001450 USD per vCore-second (0.5218 USD per vCore-hour) |
| General Purpose data storage | Per GB of configured maximum size (LRS) | 0.115 USD per GB per month |
| Business Critical, provisioned | 2 vCores, 10.2 GB memory | 991.976 USD per month (444.476 USD with Azure Hybrid Benefit) |
| Hyperscale, provisioned | 2 vCores, 10.2 GB memory, per replica | 266.684 USD per month |
| Hyperscale, serverless | Per vCore used | 0.0001050 USD per vCore-second (0.378 USD per vCore-hour) |
| Hyperscale data storage | Per GB allocated | 0.25 USD per GB per month |
| Backup storage beyond the free amount | LRS or ZRS / RA-GRS | 0.10 / 0.20 USD per GB per month |
Intermittent dev database on General Purpose serverless
- Maximum 4 vCores, minimum 0.5 vCores, auto-pause enabled
- Billed compute of 40 vCore-hours in the month (144,000 vCore-seconds), an assumption for a database used a few hours on working days
- Maximum data size 32 GB, so 41.6 GB billable with the 30% log allowance
- Backups stay within the free backup amount; excludes outbound data transfer
| Item | Basis | Estimated per month |
|---|---|---|
| Serverless compute | 144,000 vCore-seconds x 0.0001450 USD | 20.88 USD |
| Data and log storage | 41.6 GB x 0.115 USD | 4.78 USD |
| Estimated total | 25.66 USD per month |
Production database on General Purpose provisioned, 2 vCores
- 2 vCores provisioned, running 730 hours
- Maximum data size 100 GB, so 130 GB billable with the 30% log allowance
- Backups stay within the free backup amount; excludes outbound data transfer and long-term retention
- Second line shows the same database with Azure Hybrid Benefit (requires SQL Server licences with Software Assurance)
| Item | Basis | Estimated per month |
|---|---|---|
| Compute, pay-as-you-go | 368.188 USD per month | 368.19 USD |
| Data and log storage | 130 GB x 0.115 USD | 14.95 USD |
| (Alternative) compute with Azure Hybrid Benefit | 222.237 USD + 14.95 USD storage | 237.19 USD |
| Estimated total | 383.14 USD per month pay-as-you-go (237.19 USD with Azure Hybrid Benefit) |
Hyperscale, 2 vCores, no extra replicas
- 2 vCores provisioned, primary replica only (0 high availability replicas), running 730 hours
- 100 GB of allocated data storage; no charge for log storage
- Excludes backup storage beyond the free amount and outbound data transfer
| Item | Basis | Estimated per month |
|---|---|---|
| Compute, primary replica | 266.684 USD per month | 266.68 USD |
| Allocated storage | 100 GB x 0.25 USD | 25.00 USD |
| Estimated total | 291.68 USD per month |
Worked examples are estimates calculated from the list prices above; they are not quotes or measured bills.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Azure SQL Database cost per month?
It ranges from a few dollars for a DTU Basic database to thousands for large vCore databases. On 8 October 2026 in East US, the Basic size listed at 4.8971 USD per month and a 2-vCore General Purpose provisioned database at 368.188 USD per month before storage. See the dated table and examples above, and confirm in the Azure pricing calculator.
What is the cheapest way to run Azure SQL?
For learning and prototypes, the free offer (up to 10 General Purpose serverless databases per subscription with a monthly allowance). For a small always-on database, the DTU Basic or S0 sizes. For intermittent workloads, General Purpose serverless with auto-pause, which bills no compute while paused.
Does serverless Azure SQL cost nothing when idle?
Only when the database is paused. An online database that is idle still pays for its minimum vCores or minimum memory, whichever is larger. Storage is billed at all times.
What is Azure Hybrid Benefit for Azure SQL?
It lets you use SQL Server licences that have active Software Assurance to pay a lower vCore rate on General Purpose and Business Critical. Microsoft states savings of up to 30 percent or more; it is not available for new Hyperscale databases, whose price no longer includes a licence fee.
Sources
- Azure SQL Database pricing (single database)
- Microsoft Learn: Compare vCore and DTU purchasing models
- Microsoft Learn: vCore purchasing model
- Microsoft Learn: DTU-based purchasing model
- Microsoft Learn: Serverless compute tier billing
- Microsoft Learn: Serverless compute tier
- Microsoft Learn: Azure Hybrid Benefit
- Microsoft Learn: Reserved capacity
Checked 8 October 2026.
How we research cloud database guides: our editorial method. CodeWithSQL earns nothing from the providers mentioned.